02 July 2010

Making my day

It was another morning without work, due to a medical appointment (I'm catching up on a lot of deferred maintenance this summer). After it, I went to pick up a sandwich. A couple of women who appeared to be done ordering were blocking my way out of the pick-up line. One was about ten years older than I; the other, somewhat older than that. I said, "Excuse me" and then waited while their conversation unfolded. Finally the younger one said, tensely, "Come on, Mother, don't act like a moron," and steered the older one aside.

A grin spread across my face as I left. Been there, done that, glad I'm not the only one who succumbed to such impulses.

Then I came home and checked Stupid Motivational Tricks, a blog I usually like and find helpful (though the author works in what appears to be a field needing folk rather than the well-plowed, archeologically-sensitive ground that belongs to medievalists). Today's post says, "Once you reach 6,000 words, most of the writing of the article will be revision." I checked the status of Current Project. 5549! So if I write 451 words today, I will have achieved the Prose Doctoral threshold. Sheesh, I could probably move more than that in from the annotated bibliography that accompanies the project.

Nothing has actually changed except my perspective. But suddenly I feel almost done, and therefore enthusiastic.

2 comments:

squadratomagico said...

Thanks for the recommendation of SMT! The entry on stealth writing alone is priceless! I've subscribed!

undine said...

What a great way to think about it! And Stupid Motivational Tricks looks like a good blog--one that indulges my productivity AND my pen fetishes at the same time (I say this after writing in my Clairefontaine notebook with a fountain pen this morning).